In cartons that enclose articles such as bottles, it is often desirable to provide a way to conveniently dispense the articles. The bottles are typically vertically oriented on their ends, supported by the bottom wall of the carton, and dispensed through an opening in the top wall of the carton such that a user can easily access the articles from above. For example, when the carton rests on a surface a user can grasp the end of an article and pull it through the opening.
In certain environments, it is not convenient to access bottles that through an opening in the top wall of the carton. For example, when the carton is placed in a refrigerator, access to the space above the carton is limited. In such environments, the carton can be oriented on its side such that the bottles are horizontally oriented on their sides and are accessible through the opening in the top wall. However, in this orientation, the bottles are not supported by the carton but rather pile on top of one another. Thus, the bottles crash or bump against one another as articles are removed or dispensed from the carton and this can potentially damage the labels on the bottles or the bottles themselves. In cartons where one or more partitions are provided to insulate the articles from one another, the articles can not be dispensed through the top wall in a convenient manner.
What is needed is a carton with an insert that facilitates dispensing articles that are horizontally oriented or are otherwise dispensed horizontally. It is desired that the insert protects the articles as articles are removed from the carton through a dispenser opening that is configured to controllably and conveniently dispense the articles.